


Speak No ill of Old Ghosts

by lavender coin (idyII)



Series: divergent paths [3]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Bisexual Qrow Branwen, Enemies to Friends, F/F, Forgiveness, Future Fic, Gen, M/M, Magic, Other, POV Qrow Branwen, POV Ruby, Robyn is a bamf, Roman Torchwick Lives, qrow gets to be a teacher again, the women form up to beat salem's ass, you know what they say getting more and more children soothes a broken heart
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-05-21
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:09:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24257179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/idyII/pseuds/lavender%20coin
Summary: It all starts when Robyn says one word."No."Qrow looked up at her, feeling almost too lost to understand what she'd said. "No?""No," she said, eyes flashing, and then she'd leaped up to catch her handcuffs on their guard's neck.Robyn Hill says no, refuses to abandon her people, and takes a stand against Salem. It's time to stop playing nice and get their hands dirty.A surge of allies from the past (some very unexpected) leaves Qrow feeling like a whirlwind around them is happening. He can't believe they won, and now Atlas is in the atmosphere above, and he wonders if it will ever come back down and find that they won after all. But, maybe it doesn't need to. Maybe they can piece each other back together by themselves.
Relationships: Qrow Branwen & Robyn Hill, Qrow Branwen & Ruby Rose, Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi, Qrow Branwen/Roman Torchwick
Series: divergent paths [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1751065
Comments: 19
Kudos: 72





	1. Escape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> it's always exciting when you spearhead the effort to save the world, but how does it feel when you're one of the bystanders?
> 
> qrow's kids sure have grown up.

It all starts when Robyn says one word.

_"Uncle Qrow! Your left! Watch your left!"_

"No."

_"Yang, shit, move! There's two on your flank!"_

Qrow looked up at her, still staring at the bloody clover pin in his bound hands, feeling almost too lost to understand what she'd said.

_"What the fuck is that? Is- is that Sun?"_

"No?"

_"QROW, DOWN!"_

"No," she said, eyes flashing, and then she'd leaped up onto the guard standing before them in the transport and caught her handcuffs around the man's neck. Immediately, he started gasping for air, wheezing as he stumbled forward and then back to try and ram her into the wall and shake her off. But the woman was strong, much stronger than she looked, the muscles in her arms straining as she snarled in his ear and tightened her hold.

"Qrow!" she thundered. "Get his gun!"

_"Qrow! Get the sword!"_

Qrow stood, his mind still feeling in a haze but his body reacting from years of building up reflexes, and lunged. He managed to wrestle the guard's gun from him while Robyn strangled him, having to hold it too awkwardly to use right since his hands were bound but still able to pull the trigger. A shot rang out that left a ringing in his ears, and the gun went clattering from his hands onto the floor, and the sound was almost louder than the shot. Red filled his vision, just like when- when- but Robyn had let go of the soldier now, as blood was filling his helmet, and dove to the floor.

Qrow watched, dully, as she expertly flicked the key to her binds between two nimble fingers and wrangled them off. Then she was walking over to him and his were on the floor.

"Hey," she said, tone softer, grabbing the side of his face and making him look up. "I need you here right now, Qrow. Got it?"

"Yeah." Qrow swallowed the saliva building up in his mouth and nodded, telling himself to shake it off. Shake it off, Branwen. "Got it."

"Hey," a voice from the cockpit yelled, "what the fuck's going on back there?!"

Robyn moved like a snake. Qrow realized that he and Clover had both underestimated her, not consciously, but she probably could have handled Callows really all on her own like she'd said. She had only been supporting them in that fight ( _when they were fighting together together together together together-_ ) as was the plan. Now, she'd ripped her weapon from where it had been tied to the wall and leaped into the cockpit, and the sounds of screaming filled Qrow's ears.

He glanced down to where he'd dropped the clover pin and shook his head. Reaching down to swipe it and place it into his trouser pocket, he walked over to the pit and swung himself over the seat.

"I've got the controls for now, but we're in for a bumpy landing," Robyn said, breath ragged as she wrestled with the steering mechanic. Apparently the pilot had damaged it a little when a crossbolt pierced his skull. "Get your weapon and hold onto something."

"Right," Qrow said, and then looked back at the back wall of the transport where Harbinger leaned against the wall. Covered in blood.

_Together-_

_I thought I could trust you-_

_You don't know my friends._

"Branwen!"

"I've got it," he said, and then the weight of the hilt was in his hand like an old friend. He reached up to grab one of the bars overhead and planted his foot on the seats. "I'm braced!"

"Good, because this is gonna get fucked!"

* * *

There was a dull ringing in Qrow's ears.

Outside, he could hear the sounds of screaming and roaring that could only be Grimm. It took him a moment to open his eyes, but half the time to swing his body up and aim for the door. It busted open all too easy and went flying, just so happening to behead a beowolf as it did.

Robyn passed him with a hand on his shoulder and ducked out, swearing audibly as she did. "Come on!" she said, waving for him to follow as they started running.

It was chaos.

Grimm were flying overhead and running through the streets, chasing down the civilians, while gunfire rang in every direction. Qrow slid to a huddle behind a piece of broken building with Robyn, while she frantically tapped at what he guessed was a comm in her ear.

"Fiona, do you read? Fiona, come in!"

Qrow ducked further when a Grimm body went flying overhead. He glanced over, and found none other than Jaune and Ren in the middle of the street, frantically slashing at anything that came too close and yelling to be heard.

"This way! Everyone, this way! We're evacuating!"

His hand landed on Robyn's arm. "Get your Huntresses, I'm going in," he said, then leapt over the wall and started running. He couldn't let any of those kids fight alone, no matter the cost.

Even if Harbinger felt like a murderer's weapon in his hands.

He switched it to the scythe form, unable to look at it as a sword. Such relief appeared in Jaune's face when he saw him it almost broke Qrow a little bit, but he couldn't focus on it. "What's the plan?" he yelled, slashing at several wolves that had came up from a sewer hole that was now a giant, gaping wound in the ground.

"We've got ships to get the civilians out," Jaune yelled back, going back to back with him. "We just need to get everyone to the landing zones!"

"I'll help with that," said Robyn as she appeared, spearing several Grimm deep in the eyes with crossbolts as she rolled into a crouch at their side. "Send me the coordinates."

Ren started firing at any Grimm on Jaune's side as the young man frantically typed away at his Scroll. A moment later, Robyn was tapping at her own, then speaking into her comm. "Fiona, get a city-wide message out, we need everyone at these locations ASAP. The plan- right now, stay alive."

A roar so loud it shook the very ground they stood on made Qrow's heart drop into his stomach. He looked up, and paled when he saw what was emerging from the clouds high above the city.

"Holy shit," Jaune whispered, and that was accurate.

The sky whale above them was a size unlike anything Qrow had ever seen. One Huntsman, a team, a whole armada of them wouldn't be able to take that thing on. The sheer size of it was enough to crush the city whole if it descended.

" _Make that yesterday,_ " Robyn yelled, agitated, shooting of another round of bolts.

The screaming was almost too much. Qrow ducked under a swing and slashed a Grimm going after a woman with an infant held to her chest, pointing in the direction Jaune had. "Keep going that way! Follow Robyn Hill!"

When he managed to get back to Ren and Jaune, who were still trying to deal with the infestation coming up from the ground, he shouted to be heard over the noise. "Where's the rest of you?"

"Oscar and Nora are at landing zone one," Ren yelled back. "Team RWBY took the main road into the city, they should meet up with us in about fifteen minutes."

 _Fuck_. This was just like Beacon. Ruby and Yang were out there somewhere, fighting alone, and Qrow wasn't with them.

"Ruby's going to blast them!" Jaune screamed. "But we need to be clear first!"

_What?_

"Come on, Qrow!" Robyn yelled, grabbing hold of his bicep and taking off at a run when the Grimm coming up from the earth became too much and the distinct lack of anymore civilians around made it clear they needed to retreat. "Let's go!"

* * *

It felt like a losing battle.

Their impromptu team had made it to one of the loading zones, where three large _Atlesian_ ships were docked with their engines still running, and a sparse few Atlas soldiers were waving people inside. Qrow felt like he was slowly slipping down, into a tank full of gasoline, grasping at damp walls that wouldn't give him any traction, because he had come to the realization he had no idea what was going on.

"What the fuck?" he roared at the first Atlas soldier he found, a woman with blue eyes who was shooting at Grimm trying to come in through one of the streets they hadn't blockaded.

"Not all of us are traitors," she shouted back. "Name's Indigo, former special op. You?"

"Qrow Branwen. Stab us in the back, I stab you."

"Fair."

The exchange took but two seconds. He raised his scythe and started firing, providing cover fire for the people screaming towards the ships.

A loud, familiar scream caught his attention. An explosion that took out nearly an entire building rocked one of the streets, and then a burning yellow flame burst through the rubble with a red gleam he recognized.

"Yang!"

Yang looked up, waving her arm, and more civilians piled through. Her eyes were red, and they were staying red, even as she ran up to him. "Uncle Qrow! Are you okay?"

"Not important right now," he replied, shifting Harbinger so she could come closer to him. "What the fuck is going on?"

An explosion rattled the ground. Yang winced, adjusting her stance so she didn't fall down. "Well, running away was the plan. These three ships and a few others were the only ones from Atlas that came to help."

Qrow felt pale. He looked up at the floating city, at how it was rising, and felt his hands curl into fists. "He's abandoning us."

"Yeah," Yang said, the bitterness clear in her voice. "He wouldn't have been able to, but-"

Her own hands formed into fists. They were trembling, like she wanted to hit something. "Ruby sent Penny back up there. To take it up."

"What?" Gaping, Qrow looked back down at her looking windblown. " _Why?_ "

"Because she thinks Ironwood will shoot us down, or come after us. He shot Oscar."

Qrow felt his blood run cold. For a moment, everything around him, the shooting, the screaming, all of it went silent. "What?" he asked, voice barely above a whisper.

Yang's eyes slowly softened, fading into violet. She reached out to touch his hand, feather-light. "Oz came back. He's the only reason Oscar was able to land and didn't die. Ironwood shot him. Uncle Qrow, I- I'm sorry."

_Ironwood killed Oscar._

It was at that depressing moment Qrow realized that he really, really did not know his old friend anymore at all.

"So Ruby said- if they want to run away, let them. If this all goes wrong, at least there'll still be humans up there who could try again. And...without Atlas up there, they won't get hurt by..."

"By what?"

It was at that moment, with ironic timing, that a great boom shook the street, making everyone scream again. Qrow looked up and found three _giant_ white glyphs hovering above, above them, ensnaring the griffons that had tried to dive bomb them, and then they had tossed the Grimm away like they were nothing.

More of them appeared along their perimeters. It was so many, unlike anything Qrow had ever seen Weiss or Winter do, and half of them were _spitting fire_ -

Just as Robyn caught up behind him, a form came leaping off a roof and landing elegantly before them. Winter Schnee straightened up, face set in stone, and evaluated them in a quick second that left Qrow feeling a little exposed.

"Mrs. Schnee is..." Yang said, and trailed off.

"My daughter called me," the woman replied, and somehow, her tone was both cool and shaky at the same time. She wasn't holding a weapon. Qrow could not believe she had just done all of that with her bare hands. "I've taken control of all Schnee operations since my husband's...arrest. I have enough Dust to blow up every Grimm in this city."

Qrow's stomach dropped again. "You mean..." he said, looking at his niece, not wanting to know what he himself looked like.

Yang stared grimly up at him. "Once everyone is out," she said, "we're blowing up Mantle."

* * *

Qrow felt like he was missing pieces to the story. Things made sense now, the bots he'd seen coming in toting boxes and crates towards the center of the city, the urgency to evacuate the city- but he was still left with so many questions, like how his kids had jumped in so quickly, come up with this insane plan so quickly, seemingly taken control of things so quickly.

"I'm in position," Yang yelled into her Scroll- her old one, and he realized they'd kept them all along. They'd been smarter than he was all along.

A truck came squealing around a corner onto the street they stood on. High up above, explosions were shaking the sky as Atlas ships flown by bots set fire on the sky whale, with very little success.

There was a giant elephant-type Grimm chasing the truck. He and Yang darted to the sides, allowing it to pass, and simultaneously shot forward and took out one of the Grimm's legs, front and back. It screamed as he went crashing down, then, with a blinding flash, it was gone.

"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby called from above, sounding relieved and terrified and brave all at once. "Your left! Watch your left!"

Qrow leapt to the side and barely dodged a slash from a griffon's claws. He swung his scythe and obliterated its front paws, the screaming echoing in his ears long after he'd cut its head off. He looked up and felt his own eyes widen when he saw Yang successfully punch in a bear's head but miss the two coming up behind her.

"Yang, shit, move! There's two on your flank!"

She reacted with a speed that was frankly impressive. As impressive as it was, however, Qrow could see no end to the Grimm. No end to this.

"Holy shit," said Blake beside him, staring at the sky, and he didn't even jump anymore. She was always appearing out of nowhere. Even swearing, she somehow sounded soft.

"What the fuck?" Yang cried, also looking up, "What the fuck is that? Is- is that Sun?"

Qrow looked up. To his shock, three ships were incoming, dodging blows from the flying Grimm and stray blasts from the fighting below, and leaning out of one of them, waving his arm rapidly, was a familiar face.

"It is!" Ruby cried, sounding overjoyed. "They came!"

"Did you call them?" Qrow asked, astounded.

"No, Shade is too far, but- but I knew someone would!"

The ships came down entirely too close to the buildings above, making them all duck out of habit. Huntsmen and Huntresses started falling out of each, familiar faces Qrow felt he recognized. Were these kids from the Vytal Festival?

"Hey Cardin!" he heard Jaune call, a bit of a nervous laugh in his voice. "N-nice to see you!"

"Velvet!" Blake cried, rushing off.

Qrow shook himself. _Get it together, Branwen._ Reinforcements were good- even though he had no idea where they'd come from- and he tried to count off how many he could see dropping into the streets. One team, two teams- how many were in the festival? God, he was getting old- he was pretty sure that was twenty-four additional Hunters they'd just netted. Thank the gods, if they were out there and gave a shit.

"QROW, DOWN!" Robyn roared, startling him. Then she'd tackled him into the street, and his head thunked on the concrete, making him groan.

Rapid fire began overhead, the telltale sound of a machine gun firing alerting him to- what was her name- that one with the penchant for sunglasses unloading. It may have been an unwieldy weapon, but he had to admit, it got the job done, because it began grazing down the Grimm like nothing.

"Everyone's almost out!" suddenly sounded in his ear. At some point, Robyn had slapped a comm in his ear, and he realized it was May speaking. "Get to the LZ, get any stragglers!"

Robyn started speaking not a moment later. "Hey, ninja boy, start scanning!"

That was apparently her nickname for Ren, who Qrow couldn't see at the moment, but who he was sure was rolling his eyes. The machine gun stopped for reloading, and Robyn dragged him up, giving the girl- _Coco,_ that was her name- a nod as she passed at a run.

Qrow followed her, still feeling like he was a little out of the loop, as they headed down a side street.

* * *

Five Atlas ships, and the three those students had come gallivanting in on, and the citizens of Mantle had left their homes and livelihoods behind. Even though there were a lot of people packed in like sardines, and the engines were probably going to struggle a bit, Qrow knew it still wasn't enough. That the rest had been killed.

It wasn't guilt that ate at him. It was anger.

_This is on you, James._

"We're going up!" a voice cried from the cockpit. Qrow stood in the area just behind, devoid of any passengers but him, Robyn, and Weiss, and he grabbed onto a railing just in case.

The ship started to ascend. That Indigo woman had gone to pilot one of the Atlas ships, followed by those two students Yang and Weiss had fought in the festival, and her words echoed in Qrow's mind. _Not all of us are traitors._

_If only one of you could have been._

"Switching to aerial channels," the voice he now identified as Pietro said from the passenger seat. And that meant everyone in Atlas could now probably hear them. The channels used on the ground for Mantle were different, and if they wanted to be able to communicate with each other, they had to use an open channel.

"Get ready, Schnee!" Indigo roared over the line. Flying Grimm were descending on them as the eight ships fell into a tight formation, heading in the direction opposite the giant whale. They had been in such a scramble to get away from it, Qrow knew it couldn't have been more than half an hour even if it felt like an eternity.

Another voice screamed on the line. "Ruby Rose! Opening the hatch! Get out there!"

Over the line, Qrow could hear metal grinding.

"I see them!" Ruby yelled, and his heart skipped a beat. He hadn't been able to see her since-

There was a blinding flash. The Grimm closing in on their ships were turned to stone, dropping like rocks onto those flying below them.

The other voice- Indigo- spoke again. " _Are we clear?_ "

"Clear!"

"Clear!"

"Clear!"

The pilots' voices were a mix of those Qrow recognized and those he didn't.

" _SCHNEE!"_

And then Mantle was gone.

* * *

The screaming that followed almost deafened him.

Nobody was in pain, or danger. The explosion had almost blinded anyone looking out the windows, and the combination of the raw terror it induced and the screeching from all the Grimm in the area scared the shit out of all the passengers. Hell, Qrow couldn't judge them. His knees felt weak just looking back at the brightness outside and the dust cloud that followed. The explosion was so large- it must have been created by years and years and years' worth of stockpile of dust, everything the Schnee company had. The screaming turned to crying, some of it quiet, some of sobbing, and he felt his heart throb. It had been their only choice- to flee, and leave behind something that could hurt their enemy- but that city...it was people's homes, their lives, their jobs, their livelihoods that had just gone up in smoke. Now they had nothing.

Qrow knew what it felt like to have nothing.

It reached so high even the sky whale above let out a moan as boiling ash and heat hit its underbelly. Qrow heard a scream then, in the distance, yet still so full of anger it struck him to his core and sent a chill down his spine.

He looked up above. Above, where Atlas had risen so high none of them could touch it anymore. It looked...smaller, now.

" _RUBY ROSE!"_ Indigo screamed. " _NOW!"_

He could imagine Ruby, standing with her heels on an open edge, eyes pressed shut, hands shaking, and then steadying as she opened her eyes and determination shone in them. Just like her mother.

A blinding light enveloped the outside world.

* * *

Qrow felt like he'd passed out again. He hadn't, only pressed his forehead into one of his arms, and he felt Robyn shaking him.

"Qrow?" Weiss asked, sounding so small and hesitant, and it made him open his eyes.

He looked up.

There were no Grimm outside. There was nothing. Nothing but smoke, and icy dust, rolling in the wind, and the echoes of a scream Qrow felt he could hear shaking his bones. The sky whale was halfway turned to stone, listing in the sky, rolling as it did and its tail end started to drift towards the ground.

And off in the distance, a bright light coming from somewhere on the horizon, slowly fading out to nothing. Qrow didn't understand.

" _Fuck yeah!"_ a voice cried over the comms, laughing. " _We fucking did it!"_

Other voices started to chime in.

Yang. _"Nice job, sis!"_

Blake. _"Ruby! Are you okay?"_

Ruby. _"I-I'm fine! I...I don't know how I even did that...it felt...weird."_

Weiss. _"Thank god, you...idiot! You and your harebrained plans..."_

Willow Schnee. _"Weiss? Are...are you all right?"_

Weiss. _"I'm all right,_ _Mother."_

Indigo, letting out a slow whistle. _"Way to show em your stuff, kid."_

Penny. _"Ruby! That was amazing! I'm en route right now! Oh, that was amazing!"_

Robyn patted him on the shoulder. He glanced up, and she gave him a short smile and a nod before returning her hand to her ear and turning to exit the pit. "Huntresses, start with calming the populace. We don't need anymore Grimm attacks."

She exited through the door, and Qrow let out a sigh of relief, slumping against the wall. Weiss trotted over to him, grabbing hold of one of his arms to support him, looking so worried he had to plaster on a smile. "I'm all right, princess."

She bit her lip. "Are you sure? You look...not great."

He pretended to roll his eyes. "Wow. Thanks. You go out there," he said, ruffling her hair, gently pushing her towards the door. "You're a Huntress now. Part of the job is comforting those people when they need it."

She looked hesitant, but ducked through the door anyway, giving him one last glance. Qrow stumbled over to one of the seats and sank down.

The pilot- who he now had the presence of mind to realize was that quiet boy from Sun's team- let out an audible sigh of relief. He lifted a hand to his ear. "Now switching over to ship communications only."

And Qrow understood why. Communication only between their ships- it meant no one in Atlas, if they could even still hear them all the way up there, would be able to catch a word. They were at a high enough altitude it was a concern.

Because none of them trusted Atlas anymore.

He wondered where they'd go from here.


	2. Reprieve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> qrow gets a chance to take a breath and catch up with various members of the crew.

The ship was quiet. It was eerie, almost, even though the reason wasn't strange; most of the passengers were sleeping, huddled on the floor pressed against each other with hardly but a few blankets grabbed in panic to be passed around to the children there. Qrow passed the weapons compartment, where usually a miniature armada in and of itself would be held, and almost missed the low murmur of voices inside.

He eased open the door. Inside, familiar and not-so-familiar faces glanced up at him. Instead of any weapons, there were stolen barrels of fuel crammed against the back wall. A single lantern lit the room.

"Come on in, Qrow," Robyn said with a nod, gesturing for him to do just that. Quietly, Qrow did as told and stepped in, closing the door behind him with a click.

Weiss looked grateful when he came over to sit beside her. He wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulder, knowing she was someone who wouldn't ask for it even if she probably needed it the most.

"Qrow Branwen, right?" one of the Huntresses inside asked. They were all sat on the floor, various levels of relaxed. She had short, deep violet hair, and he pegged her as the leader of the team SSSN had fought way back when.

"That's me. What was it, Nebula?"

"Nebula Violette," she said with a small nod. She looked over at Robyn and gave a half-smile. "Robyn and I were just discussing our weapons. I use a crossbow, too."

"It converts into a sword," said Robyn, giving him a teasing knock of her boot. "Thinking about upgrading mine."

"Still think bullets are the way to go," interjected Coco, with a smirk without much fire in it. They were all exhausted, and she was clearly trying to lighten the mood. "How about a convertible crossbow-sword that also shoots bullets?"

"Interesting. Why don't you draw up a schematic for one?"

"Not my forte."

They fell into a comfortable silence. Weiss slumped against him, just a little bit.

Jaune was sitting in the corner, almost huddling into it, and looked up at him with a weak smile. "Good to see you, Qrow. I'm...glad you made it out okay."

For a moment, Qrow's heart seized. "Did we lose anyone?"

"No! No, thankfully..." Jaune's voice shook as he raked a hand through his hair, looking at the floor. "I've still got everyone's readings. They're on the other ships. Just...yeah."

"Jaune, what happened?"

Jaune's face twisted in an ugly way. He looked pained, in a particular way Qrow was pretty familiar with, one he'd hoped the kids wouldn't have to experience. He'd seen that expression in the mirror the day Raven had disappeared and left him and Tai with a newborn.

"Well...before the Grimm showed up, when we were still up in Atlas, me and Ren and Nora were trying to find Oscar. He'd gotten attacked by Neopolitan. She was trying to get the Lamp. Fortunately, Oscar somehow did this...switcharoo, I guess, with a fake one, I didn't even know he had one. But it was pretty convincing, I mean, we all thought we'd lost it. Then we split up when we got Ruby's message- she- she said the General was abandoning Mantle, and then our Scrolls just...stopped working. And soldiers were trying to arrest us. We got a ship, got everybody else, I thought we were going to run away...but Ruby...when that giant Grimm showed up, she said we couldn't just leave Mantle behind, not like... _him_."

He said the word with so much loathing, so much bitterness behind his voice, it was like he was talking about Cinder. There was a familiar burning in his eyes that Qrow felt in his gut often over the years. Pure, unadulterated anger.

Qrow couldn't blame him.

"She gave the Lamp to Penny and took her aside and- said something to her, I guess, I guess that's why Atlas...yeah. Next thing I know, we're on the ground, trying to fight the Grimm off, and those Atlas ships showed up. That's when I thought we really might have a chance to escape."

"Winter wasn't going to help us," Weiss murmured, sounding downcast. "I...I called my mother. I was hoping she...she might be able to get out, but-"

"She suggested blowing Mantle to kingdom come?" Qrow asked dryly.

A tiny smile broke out on Weiss' face. "Yeah," she said, softly, and bowed her head. Qrow wished the older Schnee, even with as many problems as Qrow had heard they had, was on the ship with them.

"And that's how we're here, I guess," Jaune shrugged, looking a little baleful as he stared at the wall.

Robyn reached over and punched him in the shoulder. It was almost a little funny, watching him wince and rub at it, almost pouting. "Hey, we got what mattered," she said, voice firm. "Mantle itself may be gone- but all of that, even with what it was worth to people, all of that was just buildings and things. We got what mattered. The people. And we're going to figure this out."

Qrow let out a slow breath. "Where are we even heading?"

"Your niece suggested Beacon, since she can kill that dragon on the tower now."

His stomach flipped. _Gods_. He felt like Ruby was growing up, too fast, slipping right between his fingers. She had orchestrated this all, hadn't she?

But not like Oz, or Ironwood. Not like a manipulator. Like a leader.

"Well, what about you two?"

He cocked an eyebrow at the two unfamiliar girls. They shrugged almost in unison.

"Your teams aren't the only ones that have been busy," Coco said, adjusting her somehow not broken sunglasses. "The Headmaster at Shade filled us in too. We've been doing reconnaissance since we graduated. Ruby and Yang sent Sun a letter, though, and when we heard how bad it really was...we decided to come."

A bitter chuckle left Qrow's throat. "So you're saying it's just dumb luck you all happen to arrive when we're about to get overrun?"

She smirked at him. "Guess you're all lucky."

"Must be some dumb luck."

_Lucky you, huh?_

Qrow's hand tightened on the pin in his pocket until it almost cut into his skin.

"I'm gonna see if I can get one of my nieces on the phone," he said, stretching as he got up. Weiss looked vaguely disappointed to see him go, so he gave her a pat on the head, and inclined his head at the others. "And...thanks. You lot are doing a lot better than we did at your age."

He was pretty sure this generation was either going to give him an aneurysm from stress someday or let him have an early retirement. Maybe both.

He stepped out the door and looked around for a private place. There wasn't much to be found, and with how fast they were flying, sitting on the roof wasn't a great idea even if he could fly, so he wandered until he found a quiet-looking corner in the dark and sat down. His very _bones_ felt exhausted. There were still people sleeping mere feet away, but he couldn't find the energy to care.

He dialed Yang's number and waited.

" _Uncle Qrow?_ "

"Hey, firecracker," he said, voice only breaking a little. "You all right?"

" _I'm fine_ ," she said, her own voice wobbling. " _You?_ "

"Doing all right. Nothing broken. Ruby?"

" _She's fine, just...tired. Killing so many Grimm seemed to zap all her energy."_

Qrow rested his head on the metal behind him and tried to calm his heartbeat. They were on one of the ships around him, safe and sound. "What happened, Yang?"

On the other end of the line, his niece- a grown woman, now- let out a shaky breath, sounding like she was about to cry and break out into a rage at the same time, voice quivering as she spoke in a quiet voice, probably in the same situation as he was. " _Salem appeared in Ironwood's office_." She'd dropped the General. " _An illusion, like at Haven. I knew he was paranoid, but...not this paranoid. He told us he was going to leave Mantle behind and then left the Ace Ops to arrest us."_

Qrow's fingers pressed into his skin. _How dare you, Jim._ He swallowed down the sting those words had brought. "And?"

" _We beat them. Obviously,"_ she joked. _"Left them tied up and then met up with Pietro and Maria, and went to get a ship. Weiss and Ruby went to find Winter and Penny. I...m not sure of the details on that, but, Penny is the Winter Maiden now. Then when that Grimm showed up..."_

"Ruby made a plan, didn't she?"

_"On the fly, as usual. Sent Atlas up into the atmosphere and us...down to Mantle. God, Uncle Qrow, I was so relieved when those ships showed up. I thought...I thought for a minute no one in Atlas at all cared about any of us."_

"Me too, firecracker." Qrow closed his eyes and tried to get a handle on his voice, trying not to sound weak. Trying not to sound choked up. He had the feeling he was failing.

" _I...I almost thought it was...the end, you know?"_

"I know, kiddo."

_"But...it all worked, somehow. Weiss had called her mom from the ship to warn her...who knew she was even crazier than Weiss and Winter combined?"_

Qrow let out a quiet little laugh. "You're telling me. Guess they got their temper from somewhere."

_"You could say that again. I just...don't know what we're going to do now."_

"We..." Qrow tried to get the words out, ashamed at the fact he didn't know if he believed them. But what else could they do now, but keep pushing forward? He'd thought they'd found sanctuary, a chance, in Atlas, but that was all burned now. "We'll figure it out. I promise."

 _"I hope so,"_ Yang said, with such a rare softness it made him want to curl further into himself and close his eyes for a minute. It sounded like Taiyang, it sounded like Summer, but most of all, it sounded like Raven when they were still...family. " _I guess I'll see you in Vale."_

"I'll call again in the morning. Just...look out for Ruby for me, firecracker. I...I know you already do that. I know it's a lot. Always has been. But-"

" _Don't worry, Uncle Qrow. I will."_

"And look out for yourself too."

_"I promise."_

Qrow ended the call after they said their goodbyes, raking a hand down his face and letting out a deep sigh.

How had it all gone to shit _so quickly_?

It was quiet, and dark, and he was alone in the ship with only the dim lights along the edges of the floors to illuminate anything. He pulled the clover pin ( _Clover's pin_ ) out of his pocket and stared at it in the soft light, feeling a sob rise in his throat. He beat it back down. He'd already cried once.

Soft footsteps alerted him to Robyn's presence. Somehow, he didn't mind, and he watched out of the corner of his eye as the woman came over to him as quiet as a snake weaving through grass and sat down beside him. For what felt like forever, neither of them said anything.

She lifted her hand, and gently set it over his, fingers spread wide enough they could still see the shine of the pin. It was still stained with blood.

_Lucky you, huh shamrock?_

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

Qrow's chest rumbled. He almost wanted to break down right there, but he refused. Maybe he didn't have any pride, or dignity, or much of anything left, but he would always be stubborn. It was just the Branwen way, after all. "It's fine," he whispered back. "Not like we were..."

"But you could have been," she replied.

Qrow closed his eyes. "That almost makes it worse," he muttered. "I'll never even know if..." She said nothing, letting him leave the sentence hanging. "We never got to be anything."

"Maybe not," she said, voice as gentle as her hand as she closed his around the pin, "but you were something to each other, and that means something."

"Apparently it didn't mean enough in the end."

"We'll never know if things would have turned out differently," she said, the strain of logic in her answer making him want to put his hands over his ears. "Callows was the one who killed him, not you."

He didn't reply to that, either.

Finally, Qrow opened his eyes, not even swearing when a tear fell down his face. "I thought he was my friend," he said, unsure of why he was spilling his guts now of all times. "The- the first friend I'd had in a long time. He was everything I'm not, you know? Confident, a good leader, good luck. Seemed like he actually liked me. But he couldn't question Ironwood for two seconds long enough to-"

_To see me._

Her hand tightened on his. "I don't know what was going through his head. He seemed like a decent enough guy to me too. But everyone makes mistakes, and he...made one that cost him his life. And that's just how it goes sometimes. But it wasn't your fault, and you don't give yourself enough credit." The mood was heavy, and knowing she had nothing else she could say that could- or would- make him feel better, she leaned back and smiled, trying to lighten the mood. "Besides, I've seen some footage of your fights before. Seem pretty confident to me."

Qrow returned the pin to his pocket and let out a lackluster chuckle. "Those were probably a long time ago."

"Come on, you're infamous. What do you say to a one on one when we get to Vale and sort things out?"

"Might be a while before we sort things out."

"I'm willing to wait. Don't have anywhere else to be, after all."

Smiling weakly, Qrow leaned his head against the wall to look at the ceiling and gave her elbow a weak nudge. "Good point. Sure thing, Hill. Hope you can keep up."

"Trust me, I can."

* * *

He talked to Ruby for almost an hour the next day. It wasn't like there was much else to do other than trade shifts with the other Hunters onboard to watch for Grimm in the skies. He let her ramble to him, her visage on screen shifting through practically every emotion she had, and wished for once in his life he could have just taken her place- been the one to push the metaphorical button- and spare her the guilt.

"I just- I just don't know if it was the right thing to do," she said, silver eyes trailing to the floor on the other end. "I mean...that was...that was everyone's _homes_ , it was the whole city..."

"I know, kiddo, believe me. But if we hadn't done that, we could be much worse off. That explosion...it probably took out enough Grimm and weakened that whale enough for us to escape. I believe in you, kid, but I don't know if you could have taken on that many Grimm with your eyes."

It was then an interest seed of self doubt reflected on his niece's face, making him raise an eyebrow. "Yeah..." she said, sounding hesitant. "I still don't...I mean, there were still a lot left after, but it still felt like...so much. I just got...a weird feeling when I did it."

He frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I just felt like...I dunno, like Mom was there with me, helping me."

The brief flash in the distance he'd seen flickered through his mind. The thought was thrown out in an instant; just a reflection, he was sure. "She's watching over you, kiddo, I know she is. You're stronger than you could ever think."

A smile flitted across her face. Her eyes looked glossy, though no tears fell. "Thanks, Uncle Qrow...I'm gonna give you the biggest hug ever when we get to Vale, you know!"

Qrow chuckled, letting a more genuine smile onto his face. "Oh, gonna brain me for real this time!"

"You know it!"

Qrow shook his head. He tapped the screen where her forehead was, since he couldn't do it in real time. She still leaned back as if he'd actually done it. "Can't wait to see you, brat. Just stay safe. Take care of your sister."

"I will!" Her earlier doubt disappeared, in lieu of a determination that looked just like her mother's. "Promise!"

He smiled. "Pinky swear," he joked, holding up said appendage, because he knew her penchant for doing it in person. Pouting, she tapped the screen with her own, clearly irked it wasn't the real deal.

An almost-laugh filled him as he closed the call. Qrow turned to look out the window beside the crate he sat on, watching the vast expanse of empty, empty land before him, and took a deep breath. He'd heard that the former Beacon faculty were all trying to run the Grimm out of Beacon's ruins; that they'd made Glynda headmaster. He hoped she wasn't secretly a Salem assistant in disguise too. That notion seemed kind of ridiculous, as it was _Glynda_ , but with how all his former friends had betrayed him lately...it was a possibility. Raven, Lionheart, Ironwood, _Cl..._

He pulled the pin out of his pocket and stared at it. Seeing it, seeing the blood, made it feel all too real.

He put it back and turned back to the window. He just needed to forget now. Get it together, Branwen.


	3. Calm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> things go smoothly, but qrow doesn’t want to let himself hope.

Qrow was dreaming. Of green eyes, a confident and just barely not cocky smile, a friendly gaze as he sat in a rumbling truck. The air felt warm, despite the cold outside, and he felt warm, felt like he could open himself up to someone just a little bit-

The rumbling of the ship touching down shook him awake. At some point in the night he'd slumped over, onto Robyn, who was leaning against a crate snoring. She yawned as she came to, and he moved his aching body to an upright position. They'd slept on the hard metal floor for however many nights now, and he could feel it in his bones.

"Up and at em," Robyn muttered, getting to her feet. She offered him her hand. He took it and let her pull him up, then shoved his hands into his own pockets when she headed towards the main hangar door. No doubt the civilians would listen to her most readily.

Across the room, he could see where Nebula, Coco, and Weiss had fallen asleep in a huddle, with Jaune about a foot away. The Hunters looked just as tired as he felt.

He felt the landing gear solidify against the ground. The whir of the engines began to settle, into something quieter, and he wondered how much fuel was still left. Probably not much.

The door began to descend. Qrow squinted and shielded his eyes against the bright light that began shining in. The citizens and Hunters inside began murmuring among themselves.

"All right, everyone," Robyn yelled, her voice echoing from Qrow's Scroll somehow. That Huntress of hers that was good with tech had probably rigged it so she could broadcast. "I know that you're all scared, and I know that this is hard for all of us. But I promise you, we're going to keep you safe. You _are_ safe now. We're in Vale, and I'm going to do my best to make sure each and every one of you have a warm bed to sleep in by tonight. What I need you all to do is come off the ship as calmly and organized as you can. No running, no yelling, just keep your cool. Now." She raised her hand, reminding Qrow of something he couldn't quite put his finger on. "Please follow me."

She took the first steps off the ship. Amazingly, everyone did ask she asked, slowly following her out in as organized a fashion as such a large group of people could.

Qrow hung back to make sure everyone made it off safely. The ship had settled to a quiet rumble, probably set to shut off as soon as the hangar door was closed, and he made his way out as soon as Pietro and that boy from Sun's team had exited.

The familiar sight of the city of Vale set something in him at ease. It wasn't quite like going home- Qrow wasn't sure that he could ever feel that again, or had ever felt it- but it was better. Better than going back to Mantle or Atlas would have felt.

Predictably, there were Hunters awaiting their arrival. Right at the front, Qrow's eyes fell on Glynda Goodwitch. Her eyes were raking the crowds, taking them in, zeroing in on the faces she knew.

Knowing he needed to be in on this conversation, Qrow quickened his pace and nodded at Robyn as he passed her, signalling her to follow. Glynda's eyes met his as he approached, nearing the front of the crowd, and something indescribable passed over her face.

"Qrow," she said, stepping forward, sounding about as relieved as a woman of her composure could. "It's good to see you."

"You too, Glynda," he replied, voice a little hoarse. With the situation at hand, neither of them had the energy for their usual back and forth, he felt. "We have a lot to talk about."

Her eyes flickered to Robyn. "And this is?"

"Robyn Hill. Guess you could call her the liaison for the Mantle refugees."

The other woman's eyes went dimmer, but she didn't look surprised. "Refugees?"

* * *

"Beacon" was operating out of a tall building near the old school, which had been fenced off and was being heavily patrolled by every Hunter that was available. Qrow felt a chill run through him when he saw the dragon, still frozen atop the tower, and the many Grimm circling it. It was as if they were drawn to it, even more so than the humans and Faunus in the city nearby.

"Currently," Glynda began, lips pressed into a thin line, "we are attempting to take back the main Academy. We have had little success. However, I assure you that we will find room for every refugee with you, no matter how tight we have to pinch things."

She held her Scroll in one hand, on which Qrow could see a variety of messages piled up in her inbox, but her other hand was clenched into a fist as she walked them into her makeshift office. It was curled so tight it was starting to quiver. Qrow had never seen this woman lose her composure in his life- no matter how angry she'd gotten, Glynda had never truly blown up. But the look on her face when he told her what James had done...

"Thank you," Robyn said, sounding genuinely grateful. A certain tension had eased from her shoulders. The citizens of Mantle had been escorted towards the residential district, where Vale citizens were already lining up with everything from blankets to fresh food in their hands, which made Qrow think taking in the needy was something Vale had been doing a lot of lately. And, surprisingly, there were many more Atlas students who had defected than he thought. He supposed that was part of why they'd been able to evacuate so quickly.

Those students, and his kids, were being taken to the makeshift Academy, and if his timing was right-

The elevator dinged. Qrow turned, and watched with baited breath as the doors opened. Immediately, Ruby's eyes lit up when she saw him and she took a running start.

She didn't barrel into him like normal. She just stopped, arms wrapping around him, face buried into his vest as she shook a little. Qrow returned the embrace, holding her so tightly he was worried it was too hard, but she said nothing.

Yang trotted up behind her sister and wrapped an arm around them both, placing the other on Ruby's shoulder.

"Hey, Uncle Qrow," Ruby whispered.

"Hey, kiddo," he returned, in just as low a voice. He blinked away the stinging in his eyes. "It's all right."

She took a deep, shuddering breath, stepping back and wiping her eyes once. Then her expression shifted, shining with a strength determined not to fade away. She looked over at the other women in the room and let out a lackluster- by her standards- smile. "Robyn! I'm glad you're here! And hi, miss Glynda."

"Hey, teach," Yang said with a wave, smiling tightly. "Wish we could've seen you again under...better circumstances."

Glynda glanced away for a moment. If Qrow were still a betting man, he would've bet there was the slightest sheen to her eyes too. "I as well, Miss Xiao Long." She looked back, expression softening. "But I am proud of the Huntresses you two have become, even if it was far too early."

Someone sniffled. Qrow caught Weiss, in the back, quickly swipe at her face with her sleeve. Glynda had probably always reminded her of Winter, with her strictness.

Ruby's back straightened. It was a sight, Qrow thought, seeing her look so much like her parents, calm and levelheaded and everything a leader should be. "Ma'am, we came here to help, but you have to know something. I can destroy the dragon on top of the tower now."

Qrow heard Glynda breathe in carefully. She set her Scroll down, folded her hands together, staring at Ruby with a stare others her age would have cringed away from. Ruby, however, didn't falter. "Are you absolutely sure?"

"Yes," Ruby said, sounding more determined than ever. "I've used it since we left. One time against a Leviathan, last time against..." She paused, closing her eyes for a brief moment. "All the Grimm swarming Atlas and Mantle. I'm sure I can do it."

Glynda glanced out the window. They could see the tower from there, in the distance, and Qrow could see her gears grinding. "Then we shall form a party and head out immediately. I know you must be tired, Miss Rose, but-"

"No. I understand." Ruby pressed her hands together, as if holding onto herself for surety. "The sooner we can get the school back, the sooner we can make sure the Relic is safe, and the sooner we can make a plan to stop Salem."

The room was quiet for a moment. Qrow gazed at his niece, something seizing in his chest, and felt a grief he couldn't explain. _Oh, petal, if only I could switch my eyes for yours, I would._

Glynda sighed. "Good. Then let us prepare."

* * *

Qrow made a small stop before they left. He had storage lockers in a few different cities, it was a habit of being a wanderer, but the one in Vale- not too far from the Academy itself- had various odds and ends inside. Including an old version of Harbinger.

It was just a scythe that folded up to a manageable travel size. It looked similar, but different still, with more black and a slightly smaller size.

Qrow took it in his hand, and left Harbinger folded up in its place. He stood there for what felt like ages, just staring at it, and finally closed his eyes, raking in a deep breath.

_Get it together, Branwen._

He closed the door to the storage locker and left the sword there, in the darkness.

* * *

Taking back Beacon went much easier than expected. Even with the amount of Grimm swarming the area, so many that the guards at the makeshift gate had given them worried glances when they'd gone through and started to approach the school, it felt like nothing compared to the infestation they'd just faced at Mantle. And, with all of team RWBY, JNR, and several of the other teams they'd arrived with, they were able to stave off every Grimm that came their way.

Qrow felt almost a little useless, staying nearest to Ruby and limited to more close-range combat now, like he was letting the kids do most of the work. He managed to get a few shots in, as this version of Harbinger could still fire, but there were plenty of long-range fighters in their group that he didn't even need to do much.

_Must be gettin' old._

When they reached the tower, Ruby stopped, staring at the ground and taking a deep breath. Then she glanced at Weiss, and something sad crossed the Schnee's expression. That was when Qrow understood they'd done this before.

Weiss raised her hand, and glyphs appeared on the side of the tower. Ruby began running.

She disappeared over the top, and a blinding flash of light turned the statue overhead into dust floating away in the wind.

"Nice job, sis," Yang said, quietly, as she held up her flesh fist and stared into the sky. Blake laid a hand over hers, and that was all anybody said; it felt like a victory, and not, at the same time.

But it did mean they were home, and Ruby's smile was bittersweet as she looked down at them from above.

* * *

Two weeks went by in what felt like half a breath. Glynda was tired, overusing her Semblance almost around the clock to fix what needed fixing, and Qrow felt like they'd taken on a weird switch of roles as he steered her into her chair several times over that fortnight to make her rest. Since when was he the responsible one?

The Atlesian students moved into Beacon and every one of them put in the effort to rebuild. Qrow didn't have to guess that it was mostly the 'lower-born' students who had ditched Atlas; the rich kids had probably stayed, and most of these were probably from Mantle or at least weren't the kids of some haughty elite. Oobleck and Port showed their faces at some points- he couldn't remember, he was so tired- and almost before Qrow knew it, they had managed to patch up the city's defenses and start to repair the tower. If they could get the CCT back online...

They didn't need the tower in Atlas, Pietro said. Not if they didn't want to communicate with Atlas at all.

Judging by the look on Glynda's face whenever Ironwood's name came up, he doubted she would want to speak to him anytime soon. Qrow wondered if they could even communicate with the bastard, with him that high in the atmosphere.

_Guess he got what he wanted in the end._

With Beacon open again, the stress the refugees were putting on the city was alleviated some. A good chunk of the young people signed up to become a Hunter without hesitation, and some of the dorms not in use were allocated to anyone who needed them.

That did mean, however, that Qrow, being in a teacher apartment and also being one of the most capable Huntsmen there, had an obligation to fill the empty slot and step in to take over some classes. It felt too normal, too casual, too weird for the end of the world. Team RWBY even got their old room back. Their curtains were still there.

He really didn't want to say he hoped things were looking up, because he'd felt the same in Atlas, so he wouldn't. His rotten luck would probably make the worst happen if he did.

* * *

"Hey there, featherface. What's on your mind?"

Qrow's face twisted as he glanced up at Robyn. She'd somehow gotten onto the roof of the building, where he usually sat to brood, and stood there with folded arms and a smirk. "Featherface?"

"I literally _saw_ you turn into a bird to get up here."

Qrow rubbed his forehead and sighed. She sat down beside him, letting her legs dangle over the edge, and stared out at the horizon where the sun was setting as he had been. "Feels weird, doesn't it?"

"Bet it feels weirder for you."

"How do you figure?"

Qrow let his hand fall. He stared at the underside of one of his rings, where _Q+S_ was engraved. His twentieth birthday gift from Summer. It looked way too romantic, he'd said; she'd countered with the fact they were soulmates, platonic maybe, but soulmates. "You lost your entire home," he said, sighing. "Even if we got the people out, I know that's fucking rough. You walked those streets like you knew them better than yourself."

She tilted her head back further, so she could look more at the sun than at him, and shrugged. "Yeah. It was fucking rough. It's harder for all of them."

"You can be upset too," Qrow said, because he knew this song and dance. Leaders never got to be upset. They didn't get to cry, or mourn. Only in little moments like these, where no one else could see. "You lost everything. I'm sorry."

She'd held her composure well up until he'd apologized. Her shoulders started to shake, and Qrow felt his own stomach tighten into knots.

He hadn't lost everything. Just one thing. He'd lost lots of things in his life.

She leaned into him so abruptly it was more like knocking into him, but he didn't mind, wrapping an arm around her and pressing his face into her hair. He felt his eyes stinging and he cursed himself. It was selfish, he told himself. He had lost one thing.

But there were lots of things in that one thing. Possibilities. Experiences. Touches, expressions, feelings. Things he would never get to see.

They both denied they were crying to themselves, but let the other see it. Qrow sat there with her until the sun went down.


	4. Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the start of a great partnership: ruby and the man she's going to annoy until he wants to die now

There were only so many seats in the professors' conference room. Ruby would have preferred everyone be there, but even she knew that just wasn't realistic. Knowing everyone someone would bump into someone else, accidentally trip them, and cause a pile-up on the way in.

The team leaders were there, however, and Oscar's eyes held a different shine to them- one filled with variants of shame and guilt- while they spoke with the adults. It was...weird, to be honest, especially since the other team leaders seemed to have silently decided to defer to her. How had it ended up being her again?

But she had to do what was right, and if it had to be her, then so be it.

"The Headmaster was curious about an area in the south end of Sanus," Indigo explained, hands folded together. "It seemed to have an unnaturally high level of Grimm in it, and it only increased since the fall of Beacon. It seemed like Salem was hiding something."

"What did your scouting report?" Glynda asked, a pinch in her eyebrows.

Indigo glanced at Coco, who let out a sigh. "Well, not anything very concrete, to be honest. I was the one who managed to get the closest to whatever the Grimm were swarming around. I'm...not even sure what it was. There was a stone circle on the ground, with little pedestals set around it. I don't know what it was, but I know it's _something_ important. And that Salem didn't want anyone finding it. The Headmaster...had his suspicions."

When she hesitated to continue, Oscar- no, Ozpin, Ruby had to remind herself- raised an eyebrow. "Which were...?"

"Well, he seems to think there's a magical energy coming from it. Very faint, but still magic nonetheless."

Ozpin's eyebrow shot up even further. "Magic was lost to humans long ago," he said, sounding a little befuddled. "Salem and I are the only remnants of the first wave of humanity that can still use it, outside of the Maidens and...certain individuals." His eyes flickered over to her Uncle Qrow. Ruby felt something in her stomach tighten. He hadn't been right since he lost Clover, she knew it. She knew it when he switched out his weapon and showed up without Harbinger.

"Are you sure about that, though? Did the God of Light explicitly say it took away magic from humans?"

The frown on Ozpin's face grew deeper. His eyes trailed on the table for a moment. "No, actually," he said, looking even more puzzled. "I assumed it was as such, when the gods destroyed humanity. And their judgment was clear- if humanity was peaceful when they returned, they would return, and with them, magic would as well. However...I never heard either say they took it away themselves."

"Magic is obviously something that can pose a threat to Salem," Indigo took over again, then said something that made them all freeze. "We think she took it away on purpose to mitigate the threat humans posed."

The table fell silent. Ruby glanced around, trying to do it subtly, and felt her stomach start churning again. Magic...it was intimidating. Maidens were powerful, and Salem was- well, terrifying.

"We don't know how, necessarily," Indigo continued, "but it makes sense if you think about it. If all of humanity was running around able to blow fire from their hands, it'd make them a lot harder to conquer."

"So...this place is the key to all that, then?" Jaune broke in, looking about as confused as Ruby felt, but she couldn't help but feel proud for a moment that he felt confident enough to speak up. He gestured with one hand, drawing all eyes to him. "You think we could...we could bring magic _back_?"

They all turned to look at Ozpin. He looked thoughtful, but calculating, bringing his steepled hands up to lean on them. "If that were a possibility...it would undoubtedly aid us in our fight against her. With Penny with us now, if she and I could manage to cast a spell to undo whatever Salem has done..."

He trailed off, but the implications were clear. Ruby slowly eased one hand up to rub at the other's wrist. "What would that mean, exactly?" she asked, sounding quieter than she'd intended. "Would we all have magic?"

"Not necessarily, I don't think. It wasn't as if every human in the first era could use it either. But if it were still active...I do think it would help this planet heal. The Grimm have run rampant for so long, and magic was a part of it from the very beginning."

"Well, I think it's pretty clear, then!" Sun interrupted, slapping his fist to the table with a cocky grin. "We go on down there and see what this place is all about! If there's even a possibility, I think we should check it out."

Robyn spoke up for the first time in a few minutes, a bland look on her face as she gestured towards Qrow. "I say go for it. Who knows, maybe we'll all be able to turn into a bird."

A few lighthearted chuckles broke the tension in the room. Ruby smiled, but it was restrained, because even though her uncle cast the woman a smirk it looked dim. He glanced to the side, away from the attention, and there was a line of stress in his shoulders as he leaned on the table.

_Uncle Qrow..._

She knew what she needed to say. She just didn't know if he would agree with her.

* * *

"Uncle Qrow?"

"Yeah, kiddo?" He sounded normal as he paused in the hall and looked down at her, but Ruby knew better. There was still pain hiding in his eyes he wasn't letting anyone see.

Pulling anxiously at her sleeve, she let out a sigh. "I...wanted to talk to you about the mission." Her uncle's eyebrow quirked. "I- I don't think you should go."

He looked surprised for a brief moment. "What? Why not?" he asked, clearly averse to the idea.

"I'd rather you be here," Ruby told him, trying to phrase it gently. "Just in case something happens."

"Ruby, I'd rather be with _you_ , just in case something happens-"

"Uncle Qrow," she repeated, more insistent. More urgent. "Please. I...I know you don't want to talk about it, but I'm worried about you." He paused, something flickering across his face, before it disappeared again. "And I _know_ that you want to protect me, but I- I need you to _trust_ me instead. I need you to stay here. Please."

They stood there in still silence for almost a full minute. Finally, he looked down at the floor, all the fight draining out of him as he heaved out a sigh. "...okay, little petal," he murmured. "But you promise me you come back. Don't- don't you dare make me regret not coming with you."

"I promise," Ruby told him, as firmly as she could. "We're going to succeed."

* * *

"Obviously, for a multitude of reasons, there's a shortage of transports available right now," Glynda said in a wry tone as she walked them down a hall. "You need something fast, but small enough to go undetected by the Grimm, and with enough fuel capacity to get you there and back. Not to mention a pilot. We _could_ find _someone_ , but a particularly...interesting candidate resurfaced a few days ago."

"Resurfaced?" Ruby asked, feeling like she was about to cringe as Glynda pushed open a door.

Inside the Headmaster's office, a familiar face was pacing the room with visible agitation. Ruby stopped cold, feeling like Glynda had just swatted her with her wand. " _Torchwick?_ " she screeched, stunned. "What are _you_ doing here?"

Oscar held up his cane, looking like he didn't know what to do, and Jaune just gaped.

Torchwick looked at her and scowled, throwing his hands in the air. "Oh, even better! Little Red. How nice to see you again." His tone was practically dripping with sarcasm.

Glynda came to a stop and folded her arms, expression dry enough to soak up an ocean. "Mister _Torchwick_ here showed up demanding we release his co-conspirator, after what I'm guessing were several failed attempts to infiltrate on his own. However, we did not have Neopolitan. Nonetheless, I couldn't simply let him walk, but he could be of use to us, and as I'm sure you've just guessed, you have something he wants."

It took Ruby's brain a moment to kick into gear. " _You_ can help _us_?" she asked, incredulously.

Torchwick came to a stop and crossed his arms. He glowered at her, but she somehow couldn't take him as seriously without his hat. "In case you've forgotten, Lil Red, I used to run this town before Cinder and her little squad showed up. I still have access to a lot of resources. The _council_ could just never pin anything on me, until that...unfortunate incident." He waved his hand vaguely.

"Unfortunate incident?" Jaune spat, finally breaking out of his stupor. "You helped Cinder destroy Beacon!"

"Details, details."

Ruby looked back to Glynda, searching for an explanation. "Why do we even need his help, of all people?"

Glynda sighed and adjusted her glasses. "Despite his scorn worthy activities, it was clear he would do anything we asked in exchange for what he wanted, and it would be a mistake to turn away any resource right now. Even if it is an unsavory one."

Ruby frowned. Even though she couldn't manage to wrap her head around the idea, she did think Torchwick was different from Cinder- or even worse, Tyrian. He'd said he was throwing his lot in with who he thought was going to win, just to survive, and he did actually seem to care about his teammate, unlike the rest of Salem's minions. The way he'd cried out for Neopolitan when she'd been blown away was genuine.

"Yes, yes, talk talk talk. So that's the deal. I babysit you rugrats on your way to do whatever the hell you want to do down south, be your chauffeur, help the war effort, et cetera et cetera, and the council lets me off for the little role I played in that little debacle and you tell me everything you know about where Neo is. Simple, no?" Torchwich asked, spreading his hands. He still looked annoyed, but there was a sort of...concern behind it.

Ruby thought about the _"Neo!"_ she'd heard on that airship, and somehow, still managed to feel just a little guilty, even though they'd both been trying to throw her off said airship at the time. Her sister would probably say she was being too soft. She wondered how many times Glynda had told the man no and how many times he'd insisted on getting the information from her. Was he desperate at this point?

She steeled her expression and unfolded her arms. Roman Torchwich certainly wasn't a good person, she thought, but even he cared about someone. "I don't know exactly where she is right now, but I know where she's been, and I think I know a way we could contact her," she said, making Torchwick's expression flicker with hesitation. "And I'll tell you everything I know, _if_ you help us."

"Goddamn, Red, I _just_ said-" Torchwick started, with another grand wave.

"Stop," Ruby interrupted, pointing at him, and refrained from stomping while she walked over to stand before him and ignored Jaune and Oscar giving her worried looks as she did. He looked down at her with a bit of surprise. "On the airship, you told me you were helping Cinder because you're a survivor. You said I don't know the real world. But I'm still here, and I've survived, and I've done that while fighting Salem, and I'll _keep_ doing that. Your friend is with them now, because she thinks you're dead, and that almost got _her_ killed. Salem doesn't _care_ about the people she uses. She just wants to destroy us all. You may not believe it, but I don't think you're evil. You may have done bad things, but you can still do a good thing. So if you want to do one good thing, even if it's just _one_ good thing with your life, help us beat Salem- for _her_."

Torchwick stared down at her, his guard down, and for a moment, something surprised and almost vulnerable flickered across his face. He looked like he had actually heard her. Ruby knew when people didn't; Ironwood hadn't, Harriet hadn't, even her Uncle Qrow hadn't in the past.

"So you help us, and I'll help you find your friend," she said, holding out her hand. "Deal?"

Torchwick's stare drifted to her hand. He brought his guard back up with a put-upon sigh, taking her hand and shaking it. "Fine, Red. Deal. Kids these days."

"Technically, I think Oscar's the only kid now," Jaune said, mostly reflexively, and Torchwick covered his face with one hand.

Somehow, what the man said next resonated with her. "This going to be a long week."

Then-

"But I do need one thing."

"Which is?" Glynda asked testily.

"A new hat."

 _I knew it,_ Ruby thought.

* * *

Torchwick was twitching as he stared out the front window. Ruby watched him from the passenger seat, not-so-subtly, and winced when there was another crash in the ship behind them. The ship itself was actually pretty state-of-the-art, probably just as useful if not more so than anything Glynda could have spared, so she could see what the woman meant when she said they shouldn't waste a resource.

The problem was that everyone on her team was currently arguing over a game of poker.

"Who even taught you these rules?" Yang yelled, an inch away from Arslan's face. "That makes no sense!"

"It's standard poker rules, blondie," the other woman drawled in retort, making Yang start twitching.

"Honestly, this is _so_ immature," Weiss complained with a haughty sniff. "We _are_ on a mission."

"A fact no one seems to be paying attention to," Ren mumbled.

"I'm _pretty sure_ you don't use the jack in poker," May said- the one from Team BRNZ, not the Happy Huntress' May. Her rifle was laid across her lap, like a pet.

"Yes you do!"

"Rules fly out the window when half the players are cheating," Coco snorted, which set everyone to arguing again. In the back, Penny was watching them with a too-bright smile, probably keen on gaining more 'human observations,' and Oscar just sat with his head in his hands.

A crate went flying, which made Torchwick twitch, and the ship tilt briefly sideways. "For the love of god," the man groaned, raking his hand down his face. "Would all of you shut the hell up!"

"Shut up, old man!" someone yelled. "Like you know anything about games!"

"I _do_ in fact know _more_ about poker than _all_ of you annoying brats put together, so when I say shut up, _shut up!_ "

"No you!" It was, indeed, Arslan who'd yelled.

Another groan. Torchwick looked like he was about to put his own face through the window just so the wind flying by their ship would suffocate him.

"Don't you fucking bring up Uno," Yang shouted. "You cheated at that too!"

" _How do you cheat at Uno?!"_

The ship suddenly veered to the side. They all screeched as they went flying, crashing into the side wall, and Ruby's seatbelt jerked into her skin as it kept her from falling.

She sent a glare Torchwick's way. "Hey!"

"Annoying brats get a spanking," the man called back, righting the ship. The Hunters behind fell into a large heap with united moaning. "I'll turn this ship around!"

"Bluffer," Ruby accused, folding her arms, and the man set to glaring at her too. She glared back, her lower lip absolutely not jutting out a small measure, and they kept glaring at each other for too long, as she caught sight of a lone griffon lazily gliding ahead out of the corner of her eye and flailed with a shriek. "LOOK OUT!"

Torchwick whipped around and swore, yanking the steering controls to one side and tilting the ship again to avoid crashing into the Grimm. Everyone screamed again, thinking he'd done it on purpose, and the flight continued in much the same way for the entire trip south.


End file.
